We Invited businesses, organizations and individuals alike to invest in us . . . and in us . . . and our collective investment has paid off. Our strength as an organization comes from knowing we can’t do it alone . . . that our efforts together can have significantly greater impact with much more staying power”
So begins the cover letter accompanying the Brandywine Health Foundation’s annual Community Report published late last month.
Founded in 2001, Brandywine Health Foundation’s (BHF) mission is “to improve the health and well-being of people who live and work in the greater Coatesville area.” That focus is accomplished by fostering community partnerships, making grants to “promote health equity, healthy youth, and a healthy Coatesville community” and by helping local community organizations expand their own capacity.
Community initiatives undertaken by the Foundation this year as detailed 2014 Community Report include:
- The merger of ChesPenn and Community Dental practices into a single entity. The merger strengthened both practices bottom line while better serving Coatesville’s primary dental needs.
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Chaya Scott Spun off the Coatesville Youth Initiative (CYI), an organization that directly or indirectly serves 5,000 local students, as an independent agency led by Chaya Scott, CYI’s executive Director and Thomas J. Belmont, Jr., CYI’s Board Chair.
- Raised $1.2 million, $150,000 more than planned, through the Campaign For Coatesville Kids, monies the Foundation plans to use to support critical care programs and fund scholarships.
Building on these successes, the Foundation is laying the groundwork for exciting new initiatives in 2015 including:
- The development of a youth-directed philanthropy program accomplished with the support of Citadel. The program, according to the Foundation’s Community Report, will “allow Coatesville teens to serve as grantmakers themselves by awarding $12,000 to $15,000 per year to local nonprofit groups.”
- Implementation of the Youth Mental Health First Aid Curriculum in the Coatesville Area district to combat the higher than average rates of depression.
Read the foundations 2014 Community Report below, download your own copy of the Community Report BHF 2014 Community Report or check out BHF’s home page here to learn more about the Foundation’s mission and exciting 2015 plans.
